


Cold Latte

by cuethemulti



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gays in the snow, M/M, Post-Movie, Pre-Movie, Sad Ending, reference of chaos emeralds, robotnik does tech stuff the robotnik way, stone makes coffee art (i was happy that lee majdoub mentioned this hc in his stream too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuethemulti/pseuds/cuethemulti
Summary: When his boss returns one faithful winter night, Stone conflicts with his biggest fear and lasting love that leads to an ultimate decision
Relationships: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone
Comments: 17
Kudos: 48





	Cold Latte

After a call with a coworker, Stone gets back to his desk. Empty coffee cups surround the documents laid out in front of him. A coffee-stained stirrer was set on the side. Making coffee art was a hobby that Stone recently developed after Robotnik’s disappearance. Stone never thought of himself as an artist, but he got the hang of it pretty quickly. Between time from work, he would practice decorating his beverages. It was a good coping mechanism from these past months of being left in the dark.

  
He flips the packet over, letting out a yawn. The abundant line of caffeine is taking the opposite effect on him. Stone dozes off as he re-reads a separated paper that contains the name “Dr. Ivo Robotnik” as well as his position in the government. It was stamped by the bold words “CLASSIFIED.” It was the one piece of evidence that Stone was able to find that was a sliver of hope for him that the doctor was still out there. Asking for answers from government officials was an insistent repetition of no such man ever existing.

  
Even though he was on break, and he had been invited to a Christmas party for all employees, Stone chose to carry on with assignments at the only place he thought to stay in. The last time the agent was in this cabin was for two weeks before they called in his boss about the power shortage that the hedgehog had caused. It was the first trip Stone had with Robotnik that wasn’t near government bases. They were to test out the new weaponry installments. Usually, the doctor cared more about _how_ his robots blew up things than _what_ they blew up, but ever since a few incidents the rest of the national defense had put their foot down, ordering him to carry out experimenting somewhere more spacious that would fit his needs. So, the doctor flew them to the far end of the mountains where there was nothing but snow, trees, and an abandoned cabin.

  
Perfect place to make things go boom, as Robotnik has put it.

  
“This isn’t a paid vacation, Agent Stone,” he reminded him as Stone carried some gears out from the ship. “We are here to work on the critical task that will bring my inventions to the next level, which will require you to be on both your toes and head!”

  
“Toes and head. Understood, sir,” Stone grunts under the heavy metals. Despite all the work that had to be done, he quite enjoyed the trip. It was nice to be away from the usual workplace environment with just him and Robotnik.

  
There was a moment where he thought he had ruined it when the doctor caught him building a snowman behind the cabin. Stone was taking a quick rest after he finished setting up the testing grounds outside but had gotten distracted by the fact that he had never visited the snow before. The crunch of the white icy sheet under his boots brought a child-like giddiness to him. The snowflakes gently landing evoked all winter traditions and the first was snowmen.

  
Stone was coming back with a more rounded snowball when he saw Robotnik standing in front of the lopsided smiled snowman.

  
Stone began to rapidly apologize, “I’m sorry, sir! I finished the setup and got distracted. It's just that it’s my first time seeing snow and-“

  
Robotnik raised a finger, making him instantly shut up.

  
“This…,” the doctor said slowly. He turned to the agent with a big grin. “...is genius! How did I not think of it before?” Robotnik gestures to the snowman before the dumbfounded agent. “These are perfect test subjects to use. They can adorn the body armor to experiment the stability, and if done correctly will result in enabling them to act as war machines that will make the Abominable Snowman look like a joke!”

  
Stone finally caught up to what he was saying. He nodded, relief exhaling through him. “That actually could work, sir.”

  
“Of course it can. Start rolling all the snow this place has got to offer.”

  
Stone had built a number of snowmen that made up for the time he was missing out on. Body armors and helmets loaded with tiny unit explosives were worn by the multiple snow bodies. From above the ship, the snowmen looked like something straight out of Terminator. There were a few that had exploded to melted mush during the early testing stage. However, it didn’t take long for Robotnik to figure it out, and after a period of tinkering, they soon had an active army of snowmen.

  
“Winter wonderland is officially opened!” Robotnik cheered as the screen showed the snowmen blasting red flashes past mountain ranges. Stone stood next to him, amazed at the success. He knew that the doctor was capable of accomplishing anything, but every time he did Stone was just as blown away at his talent.  
“Amazing,” he laughed. “You did it, sir! It’s a success.”

  
Robotnik kept his face glued to the screen. They exploded like fireworks in the sky. His gaze suddenly shifted over a random button from the control panel. He picked at it and spoke in an excessively, nonchalant tone. “Well, I suppose you technically get some credit too, Stone. You did contribute to the idea, after all. So, erm, good work.” Robotnik forms a small smile. It was rare for him to acknowledge others, let alone give out compliments. Seeing the doctor’s genuine gratitude had Stone feel warmer than what any heater can give.

  
Stone smiled broadly, fighting back a blush that he hoped wasn’t visible. “Thank you, sir,” he responded softly. The light show across the screen dimly lit the room. Robotnik cleared his throat and continued to list the work that was still left to be done. For the rest of that day, however, the warmth stayed.

  
**X**

  
Stone wakes up from his half slumber. Snow is patterning on the windows. He rubbed his eyes to get his blurry eyesight focused back to the many blank spaces left on the papers. _So much for getting ahead_ , the agent grumpily thought. He throws over a disposable cup into the trash can, not caring that it had landed in. Clutching on to the shawl-collar of his sweater, Stone scrapes his chair and goes to ignite the fireplace when suddenly, there was a strike of lightning followed by a great rumble that was beyond what a storm could brew up. Stone squints outside. There was a crash that shook the whole cabin.

  
Stone yelps as he’s thrown against the table. Before he instinctively shields himself, he sees a flash of red falling down the chimney, and for a second he thinks he had just witnessed Santa Claus. But when Stone peeps behind his hands, they slowly lift themselves, revealing to have a pair of goggles and a frazzled mustache. Stone’s arms dropped, his mind and heart running, but he stayed still on the floor. The figure looks between Stone and a rock that was oddly shaped like a head.

  
“Doctor Robotnik?” Stone finally managed to sputter. As if the doctor seemed satisfied with the confirmation, he jumped up. “Agent Stone! What month is it?”

  
Stone was still gaping but forced himself to breathlessly reply.

  
“It’s… barely December, I believe.”

  
Robotnik punches into the air, maniacal laughter filling the room.

  
“Not one calculation off! With how far the portal was reaching, it could have cost it for Easter, but no! There will be no cheap eggs this time around! Only the one and only, Egg-“

  
Robotnik sways unsteadily. Stone rushes over in time to catch him.

“Doctor, are you okay?! Oh my god, this whole time…Where have you been?” His wide eyes trace down the doctor, noticing that he still had his red suit on, except the sleeves were now torn, exposing bruised arms. Robotnik failed to regain his posture. His body slumped against Stone.“Hah, I’ve forgotten how carbon dioxidenated the oxygen was here,” he wheezed through the agent’s shoulder. “It’ll take a minute for my lungs to get used to it.”

  
“It’s okay, sir. I’m right here,” Stone soothes and helps Robotnik walk over to the sofa, carefully setting him down. The doctor rests his head back.

"Stone, are the old robot models still here?”

  
Stone tries to recall from his daze. Some that didn't make it from last winter's experiment were somewhere stored in the cabin. “Y-yes, I think so.”

  
“Bring them here,” he says hoarsely. He pauses and adds, “And something to eat that doesn’t have mushroom substance.”

  
**X**

  
Stone has given aid to the doctor with whatever he could find. He had served Robotnik whatever food he had bought for his short stay(luckily none were of mushroom origins). He’s never seen the doctor this hungry before. Robotnik used to go for hours without eating when he was caught up in his lab all day. Now, he was inhaling down every croissant like it was the first time. Robotnik progressively finds the strength to ramble about his whereabouts. When Stone finished cleaning up his arms, he asked, “Can I see your hand, sir?” Stone thought he would refuse, but the doctor reached for another cookie along with holding out his other hand. The agent takes off the glove. Small wounds laid across his skin. Stone applies an antibiotic cream as the doctor told him between bites, “You wouldn’t believe the things I saw out there, Stone. There was nothing except those cursed fungi!” he throws up his arms. Stone moves the tray out of the way to avoid dropping the food.

  
“There wasn’t?”

  
“Or at least, that’s what I thought,” Robotnik said with a side glance of mischief. He checks the batteries from a robotic unit, shakes his head, and picks up another one from the pile. “I used the resources as part of my brilliant escape plan,” he boasts. Once Robotnik had put his arms down again, Stone continued to tentatively heal his hand. The agent would normally ask him to elaborate just exactly how he managed to escape with overgrown vegetables, but he was so caught up in his dream-stricken state that it slipped past him. Instead, he wraps Robotnik’s hand in a bandage. The few seconds of processing Robotnik’s return hits Stone with the last conversation he had with the commander. He was the only one who informed him directly of the doctor. 

  
_“If this man ever were to miraculously appear, that non-existing status will definitely be confirmed."_

  
His pure joy was slowly overshadowed by worry. Stone took a breath and went over the counter.

  
The milk had finished steaming. He was about to pour it normally in the mug when he got an idea. Stone takes out a clean stiller from the drawer. He hasn’t done latte art with australian goat milk before, but that won’t stop him. With a shaky grasp, Stone tilts the pitcher and slowly swirls the direction of the milk’s pour.

  
“Looking back, this journey was destiny’s calling,” Robotnik says from the couch. “How else would I have obtained all this promising knowledge?” He takes a small pod out of the bag he was carrying.

  
When Stone finishes the base, he moves onto the detail. He verbally sorts out the self-assurance.“It’s possible that with your new knowledge,” Stone dips the stiller into the latte, “It can convince the government that everything that happened then can be put the past, recruit you again-“

  
That earns him a snort.”Don’t be stupid. I’m not going to work with those imbeciles again.” Robotnik rolls the pod down to the floor. It snaps open and projects a hologram. “No, I have much bigger plans.”

  
Stone puts down the stiller. He walks over again, confusingly inspecting it.“I’m not following, sir.”

  
There was a shape of an emerald floating in the center. Robotnik leans forward, hands clutched to his chin.

  
“While I was looking for a path to get back, one of my robots recorded traces of an unknown energy source. I’m not sure what it exactly is yet, but according to its data, it’s definitely a powerful phenomenal that no man has discovered, until now.“ The image glitches and gets clearer. “This, Stone, allows the holder to control whatever they desire. Not even time or space can hold them back." Entranced, he caresses the virtual shape. "It will finally expand the full capability of my creations. The obnoxious alien is what will lead me to it. I’m sure he’s connected to it.”

  
Stone says nothing. He stares at the holographic object, weighting in its dreary aura. "It's a great plan, sir, but,” he hesitates, “We don’t know where the hedgehog is. There haven't been any sightings of it for months. It could have left already.”

  
“That blue beast likes the little officer too much to do that,” Robotnik smirks. “I’ll find him soon enough.”

  
Robotnik uses one of the agent's pens and paper to take notes. "I'll not only accomplish that, but I’ll be able to obtain all other universal wonders. If there's one planet with some type of low-level life forms, imagine how much more there is out there,” he tells his agent with a glint on his eye, the one that Stone always loved to see, but this time it brought him a heartache that he didn’t understand.

  
“I’ll have to start immediately.” Robotnik writes down.”Share the data with all the bots, narrow down the location of the power source…”

  
His voice grew distant. The blow of the wind was shrilling to Stone’s head. The walls of the cabin seemed to suddenly close around him. He couldn’t hold back the accumulating fear anymore.

  
“But you can’t!” Stone suddenly interrupted. Robotnik pauses. He raises an eyebrow.

“What was that?”

  
Stone wished he would close his mouth, but he could not stay in the position of the agent just following orders. He needed to talk to him as someone that cares for his well- being. Stone continued, “Sir, you’re a fugitive now. The government has erased traces of you ever existing and they want it that way.”

  
Robotnik shrugs. “Even better. I prefer it to be a nice surprise when I shove it to their faces how they miserably failed to hide the genius who brought any real relevant discoveries.”

  
Stone shakes his head. “You don’t get it. Look at what happened!” Stone shouts. “You ended up trapped in some mushroom planet that if it weren’t for the hairpiece of the hedgehog, who knows if you ever would have made it out!”

  
Robotnik’s eyes widen. Stone has never raised his voice before. The action made Stone himself have a stomach flip. The doctor clasps the pod shut, and the hologram disappears. Brow furrowed, the doctor stands near Stone, more taken back than angry.

  
“Are you saying that I’m not capable?” He questions.

  
Stone looks directly at him. “Doctor, you’re the most intelligent person I know. It’s not about that. You just need to think more clearly about this.”

  
“Then what could possibly be the problem?” Robotnik laughs slightly.

  
“It’s too dangerous, even for you. Is that what you really returned for?,” There was a low tremble in Stone’s voice. “Just going back to search for the hedgehog, for something that's not from Earth that could risk everything again?'

  
“That’s not-“ Robotnik’s words halt. He glances back to the corner of the room, fiddling his glove.

  
Stone presses his lips together. The doctor had just returned, and he was already throwing himself onto another mission. His heart fluttered as his hand was embraced by Robotnik’s bandaged one. His demeanor was still frantic, yet there was something subtly tender from his expression.

“Stone, you more than anyone knows how lousy the government is. If it weren’t for my work, the state would have already been overthrown numerous times. The rise of the tyranny countries. The close calls. You were there!”

  
“Doctor, I just.. I can’t..” Stone trailed off.

  
_I just can’t lose you again._

  
Robotnik leans in closer. “This is one step towards something revolutionary. The opportunity to actually bring improvements to pitiful humanity. Think of that!” he whispers. “Power beyond what anything can offer. What we could have!”

  
They both look at each other. Behind the newly shaved head and the overgrown mustache, it was him. The boss who Stone was always undoubtedly devoted to. And Stone also realized that he had said “we” in a way that sounded like it could be a promise of something farther from alien tech and robotic takeovers. Something that he had only silently dreamed of during his years of staying by his side.

  
But Stone drops his head, closing his eyes. On any other occasion, there would be no hesitation. This time, however, he couldn’t bring himself to continue that route. What kind of agent would he be if he were helping the man he has served and protected bring him to his possible demise? Maybe it was selfish of him, but dammit, if it were selfish to break this off, no matter how much it hurt him, for the sake of his duty and his lasting feelings for the doctor, then it’s the price he’ll pay.

  
Robotnik lets go of Stone’s hand. Although it was not stated, the silent resignation was clear. Robotnik steps back, stoic stare like something was shattered inside of him. He turns his back to Stone.“You know what? Forget it, ” he says heavily. He shoves all the robot units into his bag. “For the first time, I have been mistaken. I thought you were different from them.”

  
“Robotnik-“

  
“I can do it myself, as always,” he murmurs. Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he goes the door. “Forget that anything happened here. I never existed."  
It swings open. "It’s better to leave it that way.” The door is shut again.

  
Stone is left alone. He moves slowly to the counter and picks up the coffee cup. The untouched creamy snowman smiled up at him. There was a sound of a large engine starting. Cup in hand, Stone rushes outside. He watches from underneath the roof as the doctor’s old ship lifts off. A blast of wind slaps towards him, and it flies off. Snow continues to fall around the mountains. The art is now disfigured, the snowman mixing back to blotches of creme. It swirls again as a single teardrop falls into the cold latte.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you sm for reading. During this self-isolation, I finally got to make my first completed fic. I've been meaning to post on here but I never got to it. Who would have known it would be from sonic lmao. Feel free to leave some feedback ! I would love to hear from you guys :) I might be making another one bc I love these two a lot tf. Remember to wash your hands and stay safe ♡


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